HISTORY

FLORIDA’S CATTLE HISTORY AND INDUSTRY 

Florida is the birthplace for the introduction of cattle in the Americas as they were first brought from Spain into Florida in 1521 by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. For almost 500 years, the cattle industry has contributed significantly to Florida’s economy and natural resources. Lands used for cattle production are also important green space for wildlife and native plant habitat, aquifer recharge and carbon recovery.

Florida is a cow-calf state. The Primary cattle “crop” is calves which are shipped to other states to be finished and processed into beef. Florida beef producers own over one million cows, heifers, and bulls generating a calf “crop” which exceeds 800,00 calves annually. Today, Florida is home to the largest brood herd in the United States, home to five of the top ten largest Cow/Calf operations and home to the largest beef cattle herd in the United States. As the owners and caretakers of thousands of acres of pristine native range and pasture land, Florida’s cattle producers consistently supply the “building blocks” for commercial herds domestically and abroad.  

Much of natural Florida remains within the working landscape of Florida’s cattle industry. Florida’s breeding herd value is over $847 million, and the annual calf crop is estimated at over $400 million. Additionally, beef cattle sales and sales of breeding stock generate a total economic impact of over $900 million annually to Florida’s economy.